Fires of Lebennin
by Lirenel
Summary: Only a few days before her wedding, Éowyn is kidnapped. Can Faramir find her and get her back in time to say 'I do? Sequel to 'Fell Wound'
1. Chapter 1

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Title: Fires of Lebennin (that's Lebennin as in a section of Gondor, not Lebanon, a country in the middle east.)  
Summary: Only a few days before her wedding, Éowyn is kidnapped. Can Faramir find her and get her back in time to say 'I do'? Sequel to 'Fell Wound'  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the LOTR characters or places, though I do own a few of the OCs.  
A/N: Hi everyone! Yes, it's true, I'm finally posting the second sequel to Faramir's story. This takes place about a month after Fell Wound when Éowyn and Faramir are about to be married.You may want to read at least Fell Wound to understand this. Enjoy!  
  
'this' means thoughts. "this" is speech. Apparently I can no longer do double lines for thoughts, they don't appear anymore. Also, these line things are annoying, but they seem to be the only way to break up sections. Annoying computer.

* * *

'Crocuses or Irises. Irises or crocuses. Perhaps pink would be better than white. No, white is traditional in both cultures.'

"Faramir."

'Though I should make a note not to suggest simbelmynë. That wouldn't be taken well by the Rohirrim, even if it is a beautiful flower.'

"Faramir!"

'I wish we could get elanor from Lothlorien, they would look beautiful on Éowyn...'

"Faramir, Steward of Gondor, would you please listen to me?"

Startled, Faramir blinked and looked up from his desk. He smiled at his frustrated bride-to-be. "Éowyn, I did not hear you come in."

Éowyn, White Lady of Rohan, rolled her eyes. "Nor did you hear me calling your name for the past few minutes. I need to show you something." She held up a bunch of white fabric, which Faramir assumed was a dress. "Look! This came today with a rider from Lothlorien! It is from Lord Elrond. How did he know I needed a dress?"

Faramir smiled at the thoughtfulness of his foster father. "He usually just knows these things. Though Lady Galadriel may have had something to do with it." The most recent pre-wedding dilemma came from the fact that there was no wedding dress. In Gondor it was traditional to wear the dress of the groom's mother, but Faramir's father had burned his wife's dress after her death. They could have fallen back on the Rohirric custom of wearing the bride's mother's dress, but that had been destroyed during the War. Éowyn had been fretting about it for nearly two weeks, thinking she would have to either sew a dress or borrow someone else's.

"He sent a note as well, though it is in Sindarin and I still don't know enough to read it." She handed Faramir the parchment and he proceeded to read it out loud.  
  
Dear Tirpalandil and Lady Éowyn,  
It has recently come to my attention that the Lady Éowyn is in need of a wedding dress. As the proud father of the groom, it is my pleasure to send to you, as a wedding gift, a dress made specifically for Éowyn by the elves of Imladris.

It is truly a blessing that you have found happiness in each other and I wish you both the joy and love that I have had with my Celebrían. Tir, your brothers and I will try our hardest to be at the wedding on time, though with Elladan being as he is on matters that require promptness, that may be impossible. Glorfindel and Eluial are in Lorien with us, and are planning to come as well. Until then.  
With love,  
Ada

Postscript: Lady Eluial wishes for me to give you her greetings, and says that if the dress is in any way torn or harmed by the messenger, you are to make sure he returns to Imladris to face her wrath.

Faramir grinned and raised an eyebrow at Éowyn. "So, do we need to tell the poor elf to flee fast and far?" 

Éowyn brushed the dress. "Not a tear or loose thread. I believe it is safe for him to return home." She smiled. "Isn't it beautiful?"

She held it out so Faramir could see. It was a Rohirric-style dress, but made out of elvish satin. The neckline, sleeves, and hem were embroidered with tiny golden flowers. A white waistband with gold flowers and a golden border ran across the bodice and tied in the back, the sash flowing down onto the train of the dress. The white fabric split in the front from the sash, revealing a gold-threaded petticoat.

"It is beautiful." Faramir gently touched Éowyn's cheek. "But it pales in comparison to your beauty." Leaning in, they kissed.

Only to be interrupted by an indiscreet cough from the doorway. Breaking away, the couple turned to face a grinning King Aragorn. "May I inquire?"

Faramir smiled at his foster brother. "We were practicing."

Aragorn raised an eyebrow. "Practicing?"

"For the wedding," added Éowyn.

"Ah. Well, I would not suggest 'practicing' when your brother arrives, Lady Éowyn. Rumor has it that the King of Rohan is not in a good mood at losing his little sister, even _if_ he likes the groom."

Faramir sighed. "Do you need anything, my lord, or are you just here to add more stress in my life."

"Unfortunately, as much as I enjoy that, I actually need to speak with you concerning state affairs."

Faramir sighed again. He turned to his fiancée. "Éowyn, love... "

Éowyn placed a finger on his lips. "I know. Do not worry; I have more wedding preparations to see to that will keep me busy. And when you have finished here, please come and tell me what you have decided about the flowers."

"I love you."

She smiled. "I love you too."

* * *

Éowyn left, closing the door behind her. Faramir motioned for Aragorn to take a seat before settling behind his desk, which was covered in paper, quills, a gold piece he had found under his desk, a cup of water, an abacus, and a random pair of dice. 'I really should organize this.' He thought to himself for the thousandth time. "What has happened, my lord?" 

"Tir, _please_ call me Estel. 'My lord' is only for formal occasions."

"Very well, what has happened _Estel_?"

The King placed his finger on the map that was one of the pieces of paper on Faramir's desk. He pointed to the part of Lebennin where the Celos and Tumladen rivers joined to flow into the Sirith River. "The people of Imduinath are unsettled. As you know, they consider themselves to be part of Lebennin under jurisdiction of Lord Arendur. Lord Daendil of Lossarnach says that they fall under his authority and has been trying to make it official."

Faramir sat back in his chair. "Daendil is the councilman you have been trying to get rid of."

Aragorn nodded. "His ways are harsh, often to the point of cruelty. Unfortunately he has a lot of money, and many of the nobles are in his debt." Leaning on the desk, he spoke in frustration. "The kingship is still too fragile to go against so many on this, so I have uneasily let him go until now. Now, Daendil is saying that the Imduinathrim are pillaging Lossarnach villages and harrying their merchants. He is putting pressure on the Council of Lords to grant him leave to take over Imduinath, which he says should be his by right. Naturally, Arendur denies this and is moving to strip Daendil of his authority. Though that is what I wish, almost two-thirds of the council side with Daendil."

Faramir shuffled through the papers on his desk, finding the one he wanted. His eyebrows lifted on what the paper said. "I can see why Daendil wants that land. Because of the War, most of Lebennin and Lossarnach was burned or destroyed by the Southrons and Corsairs. Imduinath, though, was relatively untouched and is the most fertile ground in the south right now. Whichever lord controls it has control over distribution of the goods. I know Lord Arendur, and he would keep the prices low for the good of Gondor. But I also have heard of Daendil, and he will certainly try to make a profit on the people's hunger."

The King banged his hand on the desk. "I cannot allow Daendil's corruption to hurt my people! But if I side with Arendur and get rid of Daendil, the Lords could rise against me. Most of them are already distrustful of my right as king."

Faramir sighed. "It is the older ones, the ones my father placed on the Council. Most of them believe that only the heir of Anarion should be king of Gondor, and since there are none. . . "

". . . then the Steward should rule as King."

Faramir shook his head. "They are fools. Even if I _wanted_ to rule, I would have no right to it. They forget that even though Isildur gave rule to Anarion's son, he still retained the title of High King of Gondor and Arnor, meaning as Isildur's Heir you are still the rightful King!" His face darkened. "We should make reading the history of Gondor a requirement for being on the council."

That made Aragorn laugh. "We should, though at times I wonder if any of them can read. But back to Imduinath, Daendil is urging the council to take action. The Council is looking to me, but I can do nothing until I have more facts one way or the other." He sighed. "Though I do not like it, I am going to have to send scouts."

Faramir thought a moment. "Perhaps scouts from Belfalas. That area is friendly with both Lebennin and Lossarnach. They also depend mostly on the sea for their livelihood, which means the outcome will not affect them much either way. I would say to send in Dol Amroth, but I fear that both parties would feel too intimidated." He grinned. "Even Daendil won't look Uncle Imrahil in the eye for long."

Aragorn nodded. It made sense. "That I will do. Thank you Tir, for your time." Standing up, the King patted his brother on the shoulder. "And now I will leave you to your flower arrangements. Good luck."

"Thank you, Estel." 'Hmmm. Perhaps asters. Yes, I like asters. I should go see what Éowyn thinks...'

* * *

Lord Daendil stormed out of the Council of Lords as the session ended. 'That upstart 'king' is ruining everything!' King Aragorn had just announced to the Council that he was sending scouts to check on Daendil's accusations. 'Why couldn't he just be a controllable milksop, or better yet, indebted to me as the others are?' 

Daendil marched into house where two other lords were waiting for him. Lord Fuingon, also on the Council, was a squat man firmly under Daendil's control. The other, Lord Valglin, was a lesser noble with a greedy ambition far exceeding his station. Daendil trusted both men to do his dirty work for him.

"Fuingon, how goes the plan?"

The man bowed, a coward under Daendil's gaze. "Our source in Imduinath has been successful in his attempts at getting more of the enemy's armor and weapons. But he says that the Imduinathrim are getting suspicious and he can get no more for a time."

Daendil frowned. "This could be a setback."

"My lord, if I may speak?" Daendil nodded to Valglin. "From what I have heard from the Councilmen, the false attacks are not convincing them to comply. I do not think they know that the 'Imduinathrim' that are pillaging Lossarnach are our own men in disguise, but it has not been clear to them that there is a problem. In their opinion, it could be any band of robbers and cutthroats." Daendil knew Valglin was right. The lesser lord was the perfect fly-on-the-wall to hear what the Councilmen thought. No one paid attention to him because they thought he was not party to what was going on in the Council. "My lord, I would suggest something more noticeable. A theft, a murder of someone of importance in Lossarnach, a... "

"A kidnapping, maybe?" Startled, Valglin and Fuingon stared at Daendil as an evil smile spread across his face. "Yes, that would work. That would work even better. The 'Imduinathrim' kidnap a woman. A woman beloved by Lossarnach, one of high standing in Gondor. A woman the Lords cannot help but miss."

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End of chapter one! I hope you liked it. 


	2. Chapter 2

Hi everyone! Thanks for reviewing. I decided to be nice and give you a quick update.

Reviewer Responses

The White Werewolf:: Hello to my first reviewer! I'm glad you're so happy. Yes, being king is very hard; poor Aragorn is going to have a little more trouble later.

Alia G.L.:: You'll see what happens in _this_ chapter. Thanks for your support, I hope Fires of Lebennin holds up to your expectation.

Lathanna:: I like your name. And here is an update, sooner than I had hoped.

arwens-light:: Glad to hear from you? How's life? Good luck with volleyball, my little sister is on the JV volleyball team at school. Interesting game. God bless you! (And update soon!)

Raksha the Demon:: Ah wedding flowers. I figured I needed a bit of humor. Thanks for pointing that out about Elessar, I love having readers who know their Tolkien! I did actually know already, I just don't like using all of his names. I think it would be confusing for some people. Don't worry, I do have him called that later in the story. Forgive me?

Arahiril:: Don't die! Then you won't be able to read the rest of the story. I'm glad you enjoyed the first chapter, I hope you will like this one as well.

IceAngel7:: Daendil's opinion of Faramir? I'd have to say that Daendil doesn't really care about anyone but himself. You'll see later what he does, but you're right, kidnapping his wife will not put him in Faramir's good graces.

Thanks for reviewing you guys! Here's the next chapter of Fires!

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"Oh my lady, you look beautiful!"

Éowyn smiled at her maid, Fulla, an older woman who Faramir had assigned to helping the White Lady with preparations for the wedding. "It is lovely isn't it?" She twirled around, the elvish wedding dress swishing as she moved. Éowyn laughed, feeling like a little girl dressing up like a princess.

Fulla smoothed out a wrinkle in the train. "And it fits perfectly too. How could those elves know your exact measurements, my lady?"

"They are elves, Fulla. Though I know few, I have learned that it is near impossible to learn their ways." A knock on the door interrupted them. "Who is it?"

"A lonely Steward who wishes to escort his bride-to-be to dinner."

Fulla hurried to the door and opened it a crack. "She will be right there, my lord. My lady is trying on the wedding dress."

Faramir smiled and made as if trying to get in the door. "May I see?"

The maid firmly shoved him away, surprising the Steward with her strength. "You certainly may _not_ my lord!"

He started to protest, but then Éowyn spoke, "Faramir, love, it is bad luck to see the bride in her dress before the wedding."

Faramir sighed. "Very well, then." He leaned against the wall of the corridor until the door opened, and Éowyn stepped out in her regular dress. Offering his arm, Faramir smiled at her. "Shall we go to dinner, my lady?"

Éowyn took the proffered arm. "It would be my pleasure, my lord."

The couple strolled to the King House where they were to meet with King Aragorn and Queen Arwen. Éowyn hugged Faramir's arm closely. "You still have not told me what you and the king discussed two days ago. I am assuming by those little worry lines on your forehead that it is still a problem."

Though he did not wish to focus on his work, Faramir knew that Éowyn was truly interested. "Lebennin and Lossarnach are quarreling over land. It should have been an easy-enough disagreement to mend, unfortunately I would not put it past the Lord of Lossarnach to try and start a civil war. He is corrupt enough that he would."

Éowyn frowned. "I am not related to him, am I? I mean, my grandmother was the sister of a lord there. . . "

As they approached the dining hall, Faramir shook his head. "No, you would not be. Your grandmother, Morwen, was the daughter of a Lord of Belfalas, Melendur, whose son, Forlong, married the Lord of Lossarnach's only child. Lord Forlong came to power after his father-in-law and was very beloved by the people, as was Morwen his older sister. Forlong died in the Battle of Pelennor Fields and Daendil, who my father had appointed as second-in-command to Forlong and who had much of the power even beforehand, took power. Daendil is…not the most kind of lords. He was appointed by Father because of his financial power."

The expression on his face told Éowyn that he was upset over his father's actions. Though she did not show it, Éowyn's anger grew. Must we be plagued by that man, even after his death?To keep the conversation from moving in that direction, Éowyn gently squeezed Faramir's arm. "Love, do you know _everyone's_ family history?"

"He makes it his mission, it seems." The couple had reached the dining hall but hadn't entered, so Aragorn had taken it upon himself to open the door for them. He smiled at the surprised couple. "It is true. He even knew _my_ family history when it was still supposed to be a secret."

"Estel, love, please bring them inside so that we may eat." Eyes still laughing, Aragorn obeyed Arwen. As they sat down, Arwen and Éowyn immediately began discussing the wedding, as Faramir and Aragorn reminisced about the old days. No one suspected the plot that was being unfolded in the dark corners of the city.

* * *

After dinner, Éowyn had reluctantly left Faramir, as she needed to see to more wedding arrangements. The year had been wonderfully warm, almost as if the land was making up for the years of cold and darkness under Sauron, so there were still many beautiful flowers in bloom, even in November. Éowyn smiled as she thought of everyone's incredulous smiles when she and Faramir had announced that they wished to marry in the late autumn.

They had actually planned to marry early in the month, but it had to be changed after the October attack on Tumbar. Faramir had been badly injured, almost fatally, and he was just now recovering. Though the wound itself was fully healed, the poison had had a lasting effect, almost like the Black Breath from the War of the Ring. Which all comes back to the fact that the wedding is now the last week of November. A good thing too, since there is no way we could have gotten this wedding together in time.

Finishing up the last decisions of the day, Éowyn retreated tiredly to her house in the Sixth Level of Minas Tirith. After deciding it would be too much work to change into a nightdress, she collapsed exhaustedly on her bed, falling quickly asleep.

Éowyn was awoken by a coarse yell from downstairs. The clanging of metal upon metal fully brought her to consciousness as she realized that someone was fighting. It must be around midnight, what is going on?Getting up silently from her bed, Éowyn walked to the door. Just as she reached to open it, the door flung open and a terrified Fulla entered, slamming the door shut behind her. "Fulla, what is happening?"

The maid gave her a frightened look. "They killed the guards at the door, my lady! The menservants are trying to fight them off, but they are too poorly armed!"

Éowyn's head spun. "Who is attacking?"

"Thieves, robbers, madmen, I do not know my lady!" Fulla let out a sob. "We must flee quickly!"

"I am not leaving when I can fight!"

"Please, my lady!"

Éowyn shook her head. "You go, Fulla. Get help." The mysterious men started banging against the door. "Quickly!"

It was too late. The door burst open and several masked men surrounded them. The man who seemed to be the leader had a dark gleam in his eye. He saw exactly who he was here for and advanced towards Éowyn. In a futile act of bravery, Fulla stood protectively in front of her lady. The leader payed no attention and just slashed his sword at the maid before knocking her to the ground, the body rolling into a dark corner

Grieved and angered at the attack on her friend, Éowyn reached for her sword which she kept by her bed. She had barely moved an inch when two of the men roughly seized her arms. When she struggled, one of them cruelly jerked her hair. Éowyn glared at the leader. "Villain, unhand me!"

The leader slapped her across the face, so hard that her head was wrenched to the side. "You do not speak so to me, for your life is in my 'ands. A murder works just as well as an abduction." He turned to one of his men. "Bind 'er. And dose 'er with the little concoction our employer gave us."

Éowyn struggled, but using his fingers to force her mouth open, the man gave her little choice but to let the foul-smelling potion slide down her throat. Almost instantly her head started spinning and the world dimmed. "You won't. . . get away. . .with this."

The leader's face sneered above her as she slipped into unconsciousness. "We already 'ave."

* * *

Oh dear, Evil Skittle is at it again. I thought I locked her up. (gotta check those locks) Another cliffie. What will Éowyn do? What will Faramir do when he finds out? And why do the kidnappers speak with an accent that forgets 'h'? (I'll answer that one: I wanted to give them a kind of rough-and-tumble accent, but it got too hard to try and sound uncouth so I just got rid of the 'h's. I think my spellchecker had heart failure if that's possible.) Anyway, I'll update…sometime. Bwaaahaaaahaaaa!


	3. Chapter 3

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Hi again! Sorry for the wait, it's been a very busy week. I also added a little more to the third sequel to touch it up. Believe me, that was hard to do. I hate writing character deaths…whoops! Shouldn't have said that. Anyway, here's the next chapter which takes it a little farther. Remember 'this' means thought, "this" means it is spoken out loud. 

Reviewer Responses

_The White Werewolf_= You're on the right track a little bit. I'll just say that all three sequels are interconnected but you won't see how until the third one.  
_InsomniacBoarder_= For Daendil's fate you'll have to read the rest of the story. And thank you for asking about Lossarnach, I had to go change a little something that you'll see later.  
_Seed-of-Flame_= Thanks for reviewing, you're right Evil Skittle does cause a lot of trouble. What _will_ I do with her?  
_arwens-light_= I wrote Lady Eluial and asked her for a dress for you…but then I realized that I didn't know how many stamps to use. Sorry! Congrats on your volleyball game. It's a cool sport to watch.  
_Alia G.L.=_ The answers are: You'll see, you'll see, and…you'll see. Sorry, I can't give anything away, but keep reading and you'll find out!  
_Arahiril=_ They are sweet, aren't they? I can't wait to see how PJ treats them in the EE. As for the accents, I hadn't thought about it either until I decided I wanted to give them one. Hey, maybe I'll have to write a Middle Earth "My Fair Lady" kind of thing with them!  
_Rana Ningue_= Thanks for your encouragement! I love any input you can give me. And if Faramir stayed out of trouble, what would we fanfic authors do? We need trouble to live  
_cleasmile_= Hmmm does it have to happen? =D Don't worry, there is a third sequel with all of them in it. Except a few people. Well, just read and you'll see.  
_the evil witch queen_= You're right, they do pick locks. I tried melting the lock, but that didn't work either. Thanks for reviewing!

* * *

"Daendil seemed too confident last night. It is almost as if he is not worried about the outcome of the investigation." Faramir stood silently as Aragorn paced the room and spoke of the previous night's Council. 

However, before the Steward could speak, a guard knocked on the door. He entered at the King's command. "My lords, forgive my interruption, but there is word from the North Gate. Our lady, the Queen's, family has come into the city."

Eyebrows rose identically on Aragorn and Faramir, a trait both had learned from their foster father. Thanking the guard, Aragorn dismissed him and turned to his brother. "We had better prepare ourselves for them. I wonder why they come so soon after the messenger?"

"Does it matter?" Faramir smiled at the thought that his family was here. "I will go get Éowyn, she will want to thank Ada for the dress. The sun has only been up for an hour, so I would guess she is still asleep. The wedding preparations have tired her."

Leaving Aragorn, Faramir and the ever-present Captain Beregond of the Steward's personal guard made their way down to the Sixth Level. They came to Éowyn's stone house quickly, but no one answered Faramir's knocks. Finally, Faramir just opened the door and stepped inside. The two men's senses instantly came alert at the smell of death. They found the first dead bodies in the main hall and Faramir recognized them as Éowyn's servants. Beregond let out a shrill birdcall and almost immediately five members of the White Guard appeared at their side. Faramir didn't even have time to be annoyed at Beregond for having him followed, he was already running up the stairs two at a time.

"Éowyn!" He rushed into her room, finding it horribly empty. "Éowyn!"

Beregond was only two feet behind him. With a calm, practiced eye the Captain surveyed the room. He quickly spotted the flickering candle on the wooden table, melted down to a mere nub that meant that it had been lit for quite some time. Nearby fluttered a piece of parchment. Beregond picked it up and after reading it handed it to his lord. It read simply:

**_Down with Lossarnach! _**

As Faramir read the note the other guards entered the room. "My lord, we found no one. The servants are all dead, but there is no sign of Lady Éowyn."

A groan caught their attention, the guards drawing their weapons. Faramir saw the fallen figure of Éowyn's maid and rushed to her side, noting the sword wound in her shoulder. "Lady Fulla, what happened?" The only response was another groan. Faramir turned to Beregond. "Captain, take her to the Houses of Healing. Quickly, she is the only witness we have! She may know what happened to Éowyn."

Back at the King's House, Aragorn and Arwen were welcoming their elven family and friends. Lord Elrond happily embraced his daughter and foster son, while Elladan and Elrohir laughingly hugged their brother and gave their little sister a kiss. Lord Glorfindel and his wife Lady Eluial received a warm welcome as well.

Aragorn led them into a parlor-room, a smile on his face. "Please sit. Tir and Lady Éowyn will join us soon. Most likely they were sidetracked by more wedding preparations. They were very grateful for the dress you sent, Ada."

Elrond opened his mouth to answer when the door burst open and Faramir rushed into the room, followed by two guards. "Tir! It is good…" The elf lord stopped as he saw his youngest foster son's face. "Tir? What has happened."

Faramir's normally sparkling gray eyes were now dull. "She is gone."

Aragorn stood and walked over to his brother, followed directly by the rest of the family. "Who is?"

"Éowyn. Her servants are all dead save one, and Éowyn has disappeared. The only clue is this." He handed the note to Aragorn, but his eyes were on his father. "Ada…"

Elrond quickly enveloped his son in a hug. "We will find her, Tir." The elf lord could feel the tension in his son's shoulders as Faramir tried not to break down.

Aragorn frowned at the parchment in his hands. "This is not good. The moment this gets out there will be an uproar. The people of Lossarnach have had a close bond with Éowyn and the Rohirrim ever since the marriage of Thengel to Morwen of Lossarnach."

Glorfindel looked over Aragorn's shoulder at the note. "You said one servant is still alive?"

Having collected himself, Faramir pulled away from his foster father. "Éowyn's maid, Fulla, survived the attack and is in the Houses of Healing. But we do not know when she will awake, if ever! We must go after her now!"

The king placed a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Calm, Tir. If they wanted her dead they would not have kidnapped her." Ignoring Faramir's flinch at the word 'dead', he continued. "We must call the council together. Éowyn is not just your fiancée, Tir, she is also the sister to the king of Rohan, our greatest ally. This affects all of Gondor."

Elrond shook his head, an uneasy feeling in his heart. "Which is most likely exactly what they want."

* * *

Éowyn's eyes fluttered open, her head pounding. For a moment she panicked with the sky above her instead of the ceiling of her room and her hands and feet bound, until she remembered the events of that night. She sat straight up, wincing as the woods around her spun. "Careful now, lady. 'opping up like that will give you a 'eadache." 

A hand steadied her, though it took a moment for Éowyn to piece together what the voice that belonged to the hand had said. The White Lady looked up and focused her eyes on the woman in front of her. The woman was dressed in trousers and a tunic like a man, her brown hair tied up with a tattered string. Dark brown eyes stared out from a tanned face. "Who are you."

The woman smiled, her white teeth gleaming. "My name is Naicalle, lady. My brother, 'e the one that brought you 'ere, 'is name is Moradanur. Mouthful, is it not it? Usually I just call him Danny. Anyway, 'e runs our band of scalawags and ruffians."

Éowyn took in her surroundings. She sat off to the side of a small camp of about 10 men. Naicalle seemed to be the only woman in the band. Éowyn turned cold eyes on her female captor. "I demand to know why you have taken me!"

Naicalle chuckled. "Captives usually 'ave no right to demand anything."

"What need have you for a captive?"

The dark-haired woman's smile faded and a heavy look came to her eyes. "The war destroyed our 'omes, lady. We turned to thieven' and looting to feed us. Some man up north came to us and promised us lots o' gold if we take you 'ostage for 'im. Says 'e wants a bit of land for us Lossarnachrim and needed you gone in order to demand it."

Éowyn had a sinking feeling that this had something to do with the problems in Imduinath and that Lord Daendil was the culprit. She looked again at the men in the camp. Most were thin and haggard, some had no shoes even though it was close to winter. She had no idea that some of the people of Gondor had been reduced to this in order to survive. "Naicalle, you must know that I am the sister of the king of Rohan and the betrothed of the Steward of Gondor. They would pay all of you most handsomely for my return."

Naicalle sniffed and rolled her eyes. "Aye, right before they take off our 'eads for treason."

"Naicalle…"

"Listen, lady," Naicalle looked at her sternly, "We 'ave followed Danny and he 'as never done wrong by us. I trust 'im more than I'd trust some noble sop from Minas Tirith who doesn't give a wit about us lower folk."

Éowyn glared at the kidnapper. "That 'sop' is my future husband and he cares about everyone, especially those less fortunate than him. Mark my words, though. He will come after me and it would do you well to just send me home before he reaches you."

Naicalle gripped Éowyn's arm tightly but the shieldmaiden didn't flinch. "You actually think 'e will? You are touched in the 'ead, lady! Men like that don't care what 'appens to us, they can always get another foolish girl to believe their sweet talking. 'e is not coming for you ."

Éowyn stared at her, undaunted. "You sound like you have experienced that sort of behavior. I can tell you, though, Faramir will come for me."

Naicalle scowled and turned away, "Touched in the 'ead, you are. Touched in the 'ead."

Éowyn lay down to calm her spinning head, the drug still wearing off. She didn't know how much time had passed since she had been knocked unconscious, though she doubted it was very long. Her thoughts turned to Faramir. He would be frantic with worry and probably raring to go after her. 'I hope he does not set off rashly. I do not like this situation, there is more to this than it seems.'

Fulla regained consciousness during the night, though the healers in the Houses of Healings were not there to witness her waking up. Too weak to yell, Fulla laid in bed trying to remember what had happened and why her shoulder felt like it was on fire. She had been walking up the stairs to Lady Éowyn's room… 'The bandits! They killed the guards…I went to the Lady's room but they burst in before we could leave.' The maid gulped, remembering the pain as the sword had hit her.

Without warning a figure appeared, standing next to her. His face was covered by the darkness but she somehow knew he was up to no good. "I see you have not died. Pity." Fulla's eyes widened as the figure raised a knife. Fortunately the sounds of approaching footsteps stopped its descent. The figure hissed and pulled back, but Fulla sensed his eyes still on her. "Know this, maid. If you speak of that night to anyone, someone will come to finish what the others started." Then the figure was gone.

Two healers entered the room only moments later, but they did not notice any difference in the maid's condition. The fright from the late night visit and the pain of her wounds had caused her to faint.

* * *

Poor Fulla! So, what should she do? To tell, or not to tell: that is the question. 


	4. Chapter 4

* * *

Hi everyone! Sorry for the delay, it's been quite hectic around here. I'm just glad to have a little time in which to update for my wonderful readers.

Reviewer Responses  
_TheDaughterOfKings_ That is one of my biggest problems. I tend to make Éowyn a lot more ladylike than she is in the books. I fear I am greatly influenced by movie-Éowyn who is less like a shieldmaiden than book-Éowyn. It would be hard for me to change that now, so maybe you could just consider it AU. Hope that you'll still keep reading!  
_Alia__ G.L._ You know, everyone it seems figured out that Faramir could have her protected, yet I didn't even think of that for some strange reason. It doesn't matter, though, as you'll see in later chapters.  
_Rana__ Ninque_ Mmmm caffeine. Sorry, I'm a little hyper right now. I also cannot tell you who dies. Anyway, it isn't until the next story so you'll have to wait a pretty long time to see. But worry not, I shall never abandon my faithful readers.  
_Arahiril_ Now poor Fulla is being threatened by strange men _and_ reviewers! Thanks for the positive review, I'm glad you like the names I pick. It is usually a very big deal to find one that fits and then I forget what they mean.  
_arwens__-light_ Comedy helps lighten everything. Otherwise it gets way too tense for me. How are things after all those hurricanes. They looked like they hit some places really bad. We've definitely kept everyone down there in our thoughts and prayers. Hopefully that's the worst of it. Actually, I've decided to dedicate this chapter to everyone affected by the hurricanes. Here's to you!  
_the__ evil witch queen_ Can't say a lot, though I will say that Naicalle's experience had nothing to do with Denethor. He only ever loved Finduilas in my stories. As for Faramir thinking straight… with his fiancée missing do you think he'll act rationally?

Thanks for reviewing, you guys are all great! Now, here's the next chapter!

* * *

It was morning before Fulla awoke again. While word was sent to the King and the Steward, Fulla lay in bed thinking about what she was to do. She knew that the figure had been completely serious in his threat. Yet how could she not tell the Steward what she knew? Years before she had failed Lord Faramir when she refused to help her friend, Iorwyn, save him from his abusive father. After he had almost been killed Fulla had been filled with grief. Her second chance had come when she became Lady Éowyn's maid. Again she had failed to protect her charge.

Now she had one last chance. If she did not tell the Steward what he needed to know, she would never forgive herself. 'No I have to tell him. It does not matter what happens to me, I will _not_ fail Lord Faramir again.'

As soon as he had news that Fulla was awake, Faramir raced to the Houses of Healing. He met Aragorn there and they entered the patient's room together. The maid was lying in bed, her face white from her wounds. Faramir knelt by her bedside and took the older woman's hand. "Lady Fulla, can you tell us what happened the night when…when Éowyn was taken?"

Fulla saw the pain in the Steward's eyes and her resolved strengthened. "My lord," she whispered, "I remember seeing the murderers killing the other servants. No one had time to run for help. There were only about a dozen men, I think, but enough to overpower them. I ran to the lady's room, to try and get her to away." She began coughing and Aragorn helped her drink some water. When she had enough, she took up the story again. "Lady Éowyn wanted to stay and fight. I did not even have enough time to argue when the murderers came bursting in. I…I tried to protect the lady but the leader attacked me." She fingered her wound and Faramir's anger grew at the monsters who would attack an innocent woman. "After that it was a bit hazy, but I did hear them say something about an employer before they took her. That's all I remember."

Aragorn sighed and rubbed his chin. "I cannot believe that the people of Imduinath would do something like this."

Fulla looked at the king, puzzled. "Imduinath? My lord, they were certainly not from Imduinath."

Faramir stiffened. "What do you mean?"

"I have met many people in my years, and the only people with accents such as the kidnappers had were from Lossarnach."

* * *

As they walked back to the palace, Faramir was fuming. "It has to be Daendil. He has accused the people of Imduinath of trying to attack Lossarnach before. This is just an excuse to try and take of Imduinath."

Aragorn looked equally frustrated. "Yet we cannot prove anything. We have just the word of a servant against a very powerful lord."

Faramir stopped and grabbed his foster brother's arm. "Estel, I must go after her."

The king was already shaking his head. "Do not ask me this now, Tir. We have a meeting to attend and I fear the outcome."

"This is an outrage!" Aragorn tried not to groan as he sat at the head of the meeting table. Faramir sat silently on his right as they listened to Daendil rant. "The Lady Éowyn is not only our lord Steward's betrothed, she is a daughter of Lossarnarch! These Imduinath rebels must be stopped. My lord," the lord turned to the king, "I ask you to send the army of Gondor into Imduinath to put down this revolt."

Lord Arendur jumped to his feet, his green eyes flashing. "Lord Daendil, I do not know where you learned the tenets of our government, but I can assure you that sending our king's troops to put down our own people is considered _tyranny_. As well, we have no proof that these 'rebels', as you call them, are from Imduinath!"

As the two lords argued back and forth Aragorn noticed a gleam in Faramir's eyes. 'I am not going to like this, am I?' Faramir stood, eyes filled with exasperation. "My lords, this is getting us no where. Instead of arguing over who is to blame we should be out looking for Lady Éowyn! With my lord, the king's, permission I will ride out with the sons of Elrond to find her. _Then_ we can place the blame on whomever we want."

Daendil hid his grin. This was working out perfectly. He schooled an angry look on his face. "Lord Faramir, as Prince of Ithilien and Steward of Gondor it is your duty to take no sides in this matter. As such, I claim the right of reconciliation." The astonished mutterings of the other lords confused Aragorn who did not know some of the more archaic laws of Gondor. "I see you have not heard of this, King Elessar. Though not used often, it is a sacred right of the lords of Gondor. If a quarrel develops between two princedoms, one can claim the right of reconciliation. This means that no other lord of Gondor can interfere in the dispute or the lord that declared the right will take over lordship of his land."

Aragorn saw instantly that he had been caught in a trap. To allow Faramir to rescue Éowyn meant giving Ithilien to Daendil. Yet to not let Faramir to go after his beloved Éowyn would torture his brother. "Surely, Lord Daendil, you do not mean to separate a man from his bride?"

The lord of Lossarnach kept his face blank. "He has a duty to Gondor that exceeds his duty to his betrothed."

Before Faramir could do anything stupid, like attack Daendil, Aragorn stood. "I will think on this matter. The council with reconvene in an hour."

As the lords dispersed Aragorn grabbed Faramir's arm. "Tir, please come with me." The king led his brother to a small, hidden room in the palace. Once there, he closed the door behind them.

Faramir spoke first, his voice full of anger. "Estel, I care not about this foolish law. I _will _go after Éowyn."

Aragorn could hear his desperation and hated what he was about to say, knowing how he would feel if he were in Faramir's place. "Tir, I cannot let you go."

The Steward's eyes went cold. "What?"

"I cannot let you go. We can ask Glorfindel and the twins to search for her, but you cannot go with them. I remember this right of reconciliation now, it was mentioned in one of Ada's lessons. We cannot risk having Ithilien fall into the hands of Daendil. He would become too powerful and too dangerous."

Faramir glared at his brother. "So this little power-play is more important than Éowyn? What if it were Arwen that was taken? Would _you_ stay in Minas Tirith while who knows _what_ is happening to the woman you love?"

Aragorn winced at the anger hurled at him. "Tir…"

"Do not call me that! Obviously you care only about what _Lord Faramir_ can do for you. When it comes to _Tir_'s love, his _life_, you think only of your own power!" Aragorn jerked as if hit. How could he think this? Faramir was not done speaking, though. "I will not let you keep me from Éowyn, King Elessar. I hereby resign the title of Steward and give up the princedom of Ithilien." His voice dripped with bitterness. "You needn't worry about your precious kingship, Daendil can do nothing now. Good day, my lord."

Turning on his heel, Faramir stormed away leaving a stunned and hurt Aragorn behind. The king just stood there, not wanted to accept what had just happened. "Oh Estel." He looked at Arwen as she entered the room. From the look on her face she had clearly heard the conversation. The queen of Gondor embraced her husband, feeling the tautness of his muscles. "Do not take his words to heart, my love. His grief and worry made him say things he did not mean."

Aragorn sighed heavily. "Why does being king have to be so hard? It seems like the Valar have conspired against me."

Arwen winced. "As to that, I have some more bad news." Aragorn pulled back and looked into her silver eyes. "Word has just arrived. King Éomer will be here within a day."

Aragorn grimaced. "Do you think Ada would kill us if we ran away to Lothlorien? Not that it matters. Éomer is going to kill me anyway."

* * *

Faramir slammed the stable door open, startling the horses. He had just finished yelling at Beregond who had been insisting on Faramir staying in the city, and Faramir was not happy. 'I cannot believe I actually had to _order_ him to ride to Emyn Arnen in order to be rid of him. Not that he truly had to obey me, but he didn't know that.' Storming to his horse, Belgir's, stall he threw open the door and startled loading the saddle bags. "Tir, what are you doing?"

The former Steward barely spared his elven foster brother a glance. "I am going after Éowyn, Elladan. Do not try to stop me."

The older twin smiled. "I would not think of it. In fact, with Ada's permission and blessing, we are going with you."

Faramir stopped tacking Belgir and stared at his brother. "We?"

Glorfindel and Elrohir brought their horses next to Elladan who also had his horse prepared. Glorfindel raised an eyebrow. "Are you ready yet, Tir? We have a sheildmaiden to rescue. If she has not already rescued herself."

Faramir did not even crack a smile. "I thank you, my friends. At least _someone_ is willing to aid me."

The golden-haired elf knew there was something to that statement, but decided to let it be. "Elrohir was out scouting this morning and thinks they were headed into Lossarnach. We can start there."

Right outside the stables Lord Valglin grinned and turned to a rider, already horsed. "Send word to Moradanur. He is on his way." The lesser lord did not try and hide his glee as the rider set off. Now he just had to tell Daendil that the plan was working like a charm. 'Daendil's master will be pleased.'

* * *

That bit with Beregond was a last-minute addition. I wrote the whole story, then realized that Beregond wouldn't let Faramir go off without him so I sent him off to Ithilien.


	5. Chapter 5

Hi again! Sorry for the long time since my last update, but I have been totally swamped for the past few weeks. Therefore, I will give you two chapters today as penance and hope you don't kill me. D

Reviewer Responses  
_Seed-of-Flame _I would let you kill Daendil, but I need him alive and whole…for now. I will let you and the other Daendil-haters have what's left…I mean I'll let you have him at the end of the story.  
_cleasmile_Unfortunately Aragorn has a little problem with left over councilmembers who share their views with the late Denethor. And we all know how much Denethor loved Aragorn. He has to think about his country before even his brother. I think that if Faramir was in his right mind, he'd agree. As for Ithilien: if Faramir as Prince of Ithilien tires to interfere with the conflict between Lossarnach and Lebennin then he loses his right to rule Ithilien and the land goes to Daendil. I kinda just made up an old, archaic law that really has no meaning anymore but is still on the books and can be dredged up at times like this.  
_Rana__ Ninque_ This story is completely separated from Du'elea. However, you also won't find out who the master is until much later, and I mean much later. Yes, Daendil's brilliant but every evil man has his downfall, at least in my stories. And no, I still can't tell you who dies, you'll have to wait until the next story. Sorry, but that would be giving too much away and a lot of readers might try to hang me.  
Thanks also to Alia G.L. and Mysterious Jedi for reviewing! You guys are all great!

* * *

"Lady, you need to eat a bit more. It will not due to 'ave you starve to death." Naicalle held out the bread to Éowyn. Quietly Éowyn accepted, not wanted to alienate her only friend among the captors. She didn't often see the burly leader, Moradanur, which she was thankful for. Even Naicalle feared him a little, though he would never lay a hand on his sister.

A tumble broke out among two of the men. Naicalle rolled her eyes at Éowyn before walking over to the fight. "What do you two lard-'eads think you are doing?"

The fight immediately stopped, both men falling back on the ground. Another of the group piped up. "Miss Calle, Brithanto 'ere mentioned 'ow 'e thought the 'orse-land lady was the prettiest girl 'e 'ad ever seen. Norien disagreed, saying you were the prettiest." The blonde fighter, obviously Norien, blushed furiously. "So you see, Miss Calle, it was a matter of 'onor."

Naicalle raised her eyebrows. "I see. And who won?"

The man grinned. "Why Norien of course. Nearly knocked Brithanto into the next age!"

Naicalle turned to Norien. "Thank you, Norien, for fighting for me. I cannot claim you were right, but I appreciate 'ow you stood up for me."

Norien's blue eyes met her brown ones, their piercing light seeming to bore into her soul. "Anything for you, Naicalle."

Finding herself somewhat uncomfortable, Naicalle quickly retreated to Éowyn's side while Norien returned to the other men. The female captor glared when she saw Éowyn smirking at her. "Stop that!" Éowyn smirk grew. "It means nothing," Naicalle hissed. "Nothing, so you can quit thinking that Norien feels anything more for me than friendship."

"Did I say anything?" Naicalle continued to glare and Éowyn decided it would be best to let her smile drop. "Naicalle, why do you fear love?" Though the woman jerked slightly she did not answer. "I used to fear that love would be like a cage, that marriage would mean to give up everything that I was. I know now that Faramir would never keep me caged. He loves me enough to let me choose. I cannot imagine life without his love."

Naicalle sighed and shifted away from the group of men that was beginning to sing a loud, bawdy song. "I never feared marriage, I welcomed it. There was this nobleman in Lossarnach. My 'eart would beat faster every time 'e talked to me. Me, a daughter of merchant." Naicalle began doodling in the dirt with a stick. "When 'e asked me to marry 'im, I jumped at the chance. We were going to wait a whole two years before the wedding, but I was 'appy. 'e would 'elp my father with 'is business and then would come see me. Everything was wonderful until 'e left me the week before the wedding. Not only that, it turns out 'e took all the money my father 'ad saved with 'im. We could not do anything about it since 'e was noble and we were not."

Éowyn placed her bound hands on Naicalle's shoulder. "I am so sorry, my friend."

"My father died soon after. Danny and I struggled by, then the war finished us off. We 'ave nothing now except each other and these men." She sighed. "I will not go through that again."

"Not every man is like that. My Faramir loves me and would never hurt me."

Naicalle's eyes flashed. "Is that so? Why 'as 'e not saved you yet then?" Seeing the hurt look on Éowyn's face, Naicalle bit her lip. "I am sorry. Forget I said that."

Éowyn tried, but she couldn't forget. She knew it would be nearly impossible for Faramir to find her in the week she had been gone, but part of her had hoped that he would come riding to her rescue within the first days. Escape was impossible, she was kept bound at all times and the ropes were knotted well. As much as it galled the shieldmaiden, rescue was her only hope. And deep in her heart, she desperately wanted Faramir to come and whisk her away so that they could get married and start their lives together. Please come Faramir. I need you.

.,.

The next morning Éowyn was roughly woken by a sharp kick in her side. Moradanur glared down at her. "Get up and come with me."

As Éowyn struggled to her feet she saw Naicalle come up to her brother. "Danny, what are you doing?"

"The next phase of the plan, Calle. We 'ave word that the Steward is on 'is way. Everything is set up, but from 'ere on me and the lady go on alone."

Norien stood next to Naicalle. "Now wait a minute, Moradanur. This was a plain 'ostage taking. We can do the exchange right 'ere, with all of us."

Moradanur barked out a laugh. "This is not a regular 'ostage exchange. Our employer doesn't just want the land, 'e wants the Steward dead."

Éowyn's eyes widened. She wasn't a hostage. She was bait! "No!" Éowyn tried to beat against the ruffian with her bound fists, but he caught her and roughly forced a gag in her mouth.

Naicalle frowned at the treatment of the woman who had become her friend. "What are you planning on doing, Danny?"

He grinned wolfishly at his sister. "That is for me to know. Calle, you are in charge 'ere until my return. Do not leave."

Letting out a laugh, he dragged a struggling Éowyn away. Naicalle looked after her friend, her heart hurting. Norien put his arm around her shoulder to try and comfort her. "She will be fine, I am sure. 'e won't 'urt 'er, only the Steward. Moradanur will let 'er go after it is over." He didn't voice the 'I hope' that plagued his mind.

Naicalle tried to find comfort in this, but she couldn't. "I do not know if she would want to live if 'e was dead. What is 'er life without 'is love?"

Norien looked at the woman with whom he had been in love with for years. 'The same as my life without yours.'

* * *

Short chapter, but the next one is pretty long so I had to split it somewhere. 


	6. Chapter 6

Here's another chapter! Hope you enjoy!

* * *

In Minas Tirith the level of unrest was steadily rising. Éomer, having come for the wedding only to find the bride kidnapped and the groom missing, had quite a few choice words for a weary Aragorn. That, plus the pressure by the lords to do _something_ about the Imduinath situation, was causing Aragorn to think that living in the depths of Mordor didn't sound all that bad.

What weighed most heavily on the king's mind, though, was the parting argument with his brother. Yes, he knew that the twins and Glorfindel had gone with Faramir, but so many things could still go wrong and the last words out of his brother's mouth had been full of such anger. As the king stood on the balcony outside his bedroom he was startled by his Ada's voice behind him. "You worry about Tir."

"Do you not?"

Elrond came to stand beside his foster son. "Indeed. I always worry when my children are out of my sight. Invariably something is bound to go wrong." The elf-lord looked out across the city and surrounding lands. "Arwen told me the two of you had words before he left. Or more correctly, he yelled and you had no time to even speak in your defense."

Aragorn sighed and rubbed his hand over his eyes. "I cannot even understand how he came to think the way he did! I may care for my country, but I would not _use_ my brother for my own gain."

"There is a reason he was so irrational, and it was not just stress from having his beloved fiancée kidnapped." The king looked as his father and saw that the elf seemed lost in a memory. "I do not know if you remember being told the story, since you were not there when it happened, but when Tir was about 12 years old he was kidnapped by a group of ruffians who wished for a heavy ransom." Aragorn stared, having only a vague recollection of this tale. Elrond's taut lips told the king that this was not a pleasant memory for the elf. "The kidnappers drugged him with a very powerful, very addictive potion. I will not go into the details, but know that even after he was rescued Tir suffered greatly."

The pieces fell into place in Aragorn's mind. "He fears the same for Éowyn."

Elrond nodded but before he could say more someone began pounding loudly at the door. Aragorn groaned inwardly and opened the door. A young servant-boy stood there, panting. "My lord, I just came from the Houses of Healing. Someone tried to kill Mistress Fulla!"

Aragorn's stomach dropped. "Is she alright? Did they catch the villain?"

The boy held onto the doorway, obviously having run the entire way from the Houses. "Yes to both, my lord. They are holding him in the cells on the Sixth level."

.,.

Aragorn stormed into the holding cells and ordered the guards to take him to the prisoner. At seeing the man chained behind the iron bars, Aragorn froze in his steps. "Lord Fuingon?"

The small, portly man glared at the king. "Forgive me for not bowing, _your majesty_."

Aragorn almost could not believe it. Actually, he _could_ believe that Fuingon was capable of murder, just not by his own hands. "Why did you attempt to slay Mistress Fulla?" The man said nothing, just sat there looking contemptuously at the king. "Who are you working for? Daendil?" The former ranger's sharp eyes caught the glint of fear in the lord's eyes and decided to play on that. "Attempted murder is a capital offense. You could be executed as soon as I can arrange for an axe-man." Fuingon's fear was clearly seen now. "Tell me what you know and I may lessen your sentence."

...

Aragorn strode out of the cells where his captain of the guard waited. "Call out the men. Search the city and arrest Lord Valglin and Lord Daendil for the attempted murder of Mistress Fulla, the kidnapping of Lady Éowyn, and for treason against the king and Gondor." As the captain hurried to do his lords bidding, Aragorn faced south, worry lines creasing his forehead. The other information Fuingon had given had hit personally. 'Beware, Tir. I fear what these foul vermin have in store for you.'

.,.

Faramir was growing more frantic with each passing moment. Nearly a week had passed since Éowyn had disappeared and there had been no sign of her. Glorfindel, Elladan, and Elrohir were more concerned with Faramir's health. He slept little and ate less. That, plus the weight of what they assumed was an argument with Estel, worried the three elves. They neared one of the patches of woods that surrounded a large, rocky chain of hills.

As they rode, Faramir's mind was on one thing: Éowyn. Would he get to her before she was hurt? Was she already hurt? New thoughts entered his mind. 'What will happen now that I no longer am Steward? Will she still marry me? Will Éomer _let_ her marry me? Can I even marry her without a way to provide for us?' He shook the thoughts away. It did not matter right now. Saving Éowyn mattered.

Finally, they stumbled onto a clue. Well, Elladan pushed Elrohir off his horse and the younger twin fell _on_ the clue. Unfortunately. "Ugh, gross Elladan!" The older twin had to chuckle at the sight of his brother with his hand covered in horse manure. "At least it was not your face. Though that would have been an improvement."

Glorfindel coughed to catch their attention. "If you two would quit acting like children long enough, you might notice that the pile Elrohir so gracefully landed on is not from one of our horses. This, along with the hoof-prints in front of us, most likely means that a rider passed through here not too long ago. I can also see signs showing movement of a small group of people."

Faramir, who hadn't even laughed when his brother landed in horse manure, smiled at this turn of events. "Perhaps we are finally getting somewhere. Come on."

As the elves followed the newly revitalized Faramir, Elrohir rolled his eyes at his brother as he daintily wiped his hand on his twin's shirt. "Can you believe Glorfindel called us children?"

"And after that incident with Ada's hairbrush and the mud?"

"He needs to learn a lesson in childishness, my brother."

Glorfindel rolled his eyes. "I heard that Elrohir!"

.,.

After riding a little while Glorfindel had them stop and dismount. The horses would stay where they were while the elves and their human companion continued on foot. It did not take them long before they reached what seemed to be a camp of ruffians. There was no sign of Éowyn so Glorfindel motioned for the twins to move around to the other side of the camp while he and Faramir moved closer to try and overhear a conversation two of the men seemed to be having.

"This is getting out of control. What is 'e thinking, taking 'er off like that?"

"We don't question Moradanur."

"Well I didn't sign up to be played like this. 'e told us it was just a 'ostage-taking. 'e didn't say anything about a trap for the Steward."

Faramir had heard enough and stepped into view. Instantly the camp came on alert, only to find themselves facing three elves and a very angry former Steward. "A trap for me? This is not a very good one if I may say."

The lone female ruffian walked calmly up to him. "We are not the trap, my lord. We did not know about the trap until Danny took Éowyn away."

Faramir's hand tightened around his drawn sword. "Where is she?"

The female ruffian didn't seem threatened. "Put down the sword, my lord. Unless you want to prove that Éowyn's words about 'ow kind and good you are wrong."

Faramir's hand wavered slightly. "And I am just supposed to trust you?"

She sighed. "Listen. My name is Naicalle. My brother just took the woman you love as bait to trap you, though I do not know 'is reason. I 'ave no wish to fight you, or your elves 'ere. My men, on the other 'and, are raring to fight so unless you want your 'ead rolling to Mirkwood and the rest of you to Belfalas, I would put down the sword."

Though wary, Faramir saw the truth in Naicalle's eyes. Lowering the sword he glared at her. "Fine, now tell me where Éowyn is!"

Naicalle bit her lip. To tell Faramir would be to betray her brother. Yet she felt that the situation was indeed going out of control. Moradanur was no match for three elves and an angry fiancé, nor had she wanted to trap the Steward either. She just wanted to be able to feed her men through the winter. "I will tell you where 'e took 'er if you promise us food and shelter through the cold season and amnesty from the king."

Faramir hesitated, then cleared his throat. "I am no longer the Steward of Gondor and cannot speak for King Elessar."

Elladan, though startled at this little tidbit of information that Faramir had conveniently forgotten to tell them, stepped forward to speak. "I, on the other hand, am the eldest son of Lord Elrond of Rivendell. Tell us where Lady Éowyn is and I promise you refuge there."

While Faramir shot his brother a grateful look, Naicalle quickly realized that this was the best she would get. "Agreed. Danny took 'er east that way. I assume 'e is taking 'er to one of the caves in the 'ills there. Though 'e probably left a trail since it _is_ a trap and 'e wants you to find 'im." She hesitated before speaking again. "I would ask if you would be easy on Danny. 'e is just trying to support us the only way 'e knows 'ow."

Faramir smiled at her. "I thank you for your help. And I will be as lenient as possible to your brother, given the circumstances." He looked at the other men in the group, not liking the looks of some of them. Glancing at his elven companions he saw Glorfindel nod at him. "One of my friends here will stay with you." At Naicalle's frown he quickly added, "For your own protection. There may be others out here that may not like you for helping us."

Naicalle of course knew that the former Steward didn't fully trust them, though that was expected. She also knew that this golden-haired elf that stayed behind as Faramir and the identical elves left could probably take on the entire band and win. This was firmly assured when the elf introduced himself, grinning rather wickedly. "Hello. My name is Glorfindel, formerly of Gondolin. You may have heard of me. I like killing things in my spare time."

* * *

Forgive me. I could not help putting that last line in, it just struck my funny bone. Of course he doesn't _really_ kill things for a hobby (that we know of). Also, Elrond's mentioning of Faramir being kidnapped has not been fully explored, though I plan on it in the future. I'm planning a whole _long_ series (kinda prequels) based on Elrond that lead up to and perhaps past the events in these stories. It will probably take me until the day I die, but hopefully I will get them finished.


	7. Chapter 7

* * *

Hello, sorry for the long wait. I have had no time to do anything recently, I'm just glad I already have this and the next sequel written. I soooo can't wait until December! ROTK EE comes out! Yay!!!! Has anyone else seen the picks for the Houses of Healing? So sweet! I can't wait! 

Reviewer Responses  
_IceAngel7-_ Thanks for your input! I love hearing back about my characterizations since I really want them to be believable. Hope you like this chapter as well.  
_TheDaughterOfKings__- _Faramir knowing Elrond is in the first story of this series 'Faramir's story'. If you don't want to read that (it's quite long), there's a synopsis in front of 'Fell Wound'. Thanks for reviewing!  
_Alia__ G.L.- _Here's your post! I hope you like this as much as the others, I wrote it pretty fast.  
_the__ evil witch queen- _I'm glad you liked the last line, I was worried it was too OOC. Yah, I feel bad for Estel too and for Faramir. And as for Danny, he gets to meet the wrath of Faramir in this chapter.

* * *

Faramir tried to keep his frustration and worry to himself as he impatiently waited for Elladan to track Éowyn and the kidnapper's steps. Luckily the signs were obvious, so the brothers wasted no time in their tracking. At last they reached the hills Naicalle had mentioned. An ominous cave opened up into the hills, its black maw taunting Faramir with the prize it bragged to hold. He looked at the twins, motioning that he would go first and that they should keep a good distance, just in case.

...

Éowyn shuddered in the darkness and winced. Moradanur had thrown her against the walls of the cave and she was sure she would have a few bruises soon. Midway from the entrance Moradanur was pouring some sort of liquid on the floor. Though the shieldmaiden didn't know exactly what he was doing, she knew it couldn't be good. She desperately wanted to get away, wiggling against her bonds and praying that Faramir was far away in Minas Tirith where he was safe from this trap. 'Please don't come. Please don't come, my love. Send Beregond, Aragorn, _Arwen_, just don't come yourself. Oh why is it that I wish he were no where near here and yet I want him here with me?' Éowyn leaned her head against the cold stone of the cave wall. 'I promise I will come back to you, Faramir, if it is the last thing I do. I am not going to leave this world without giving you at least one more kiss.'

...

The former Steward stepped silently and uneasily towards the cave, his practiced eyes taking in his surroundings. He hadn't counted out an ambush of men that the ruffians might have forgotten to mention, so he warily kept his eyes and ears trained for noticing any unwanted company.

"Looking for me?" Faramir drew his gaze sharply to the mouth of the cave. A man dressed like the kidnappers they had just left was standing part way in the opening. "I believe I 'ave someone you want. Do not worry, though. She 'asn't been 'urt _that_ badly." Faramir's blood boiled in rage. Letting out a battle-cry, he drew his sword and charged the man. Moradanur quickly whirled around and retreated into the cave, drawing the former Steward into the trap.

…

Faramir refused to heed his brothers' calls, his heart intent on doing a great deal of harm to the man before him. A good distance in, Moradanur stopped and turned to face Faramir. The ruffian grinned, leaned down, and removed a lit candle from beneath its hiding place. Confused, Faramir cocked his head slightly. A slight aroma, hauntingly familiar, reached his nose. 'Oil!' Looking down Faramir saw to his horror that the floor he was standing on was drenched in flammable oil. In that instant he knew exactly was Moradanur was planning. As the ruffian threw the candle forward, Faramir leapt and tackled him to the dry portion of the floor.

The cave blew up behind them, an inferno of flame. Faramir scrambled to his feet, but his eyes stayed transfixed on the fire. Memories of another blaze flashed through his mind. 'Oil, flame. Burning, already burning.' A muffled scream from Éowyn pulled his thoughts away from the past to the sweltering present. Faramir managed to bring his sword up in time to block Moradanur's blow. He staggered back at the force behind the swing. 'Valar, he is strong.'

Back and forth, the two fought, all the while coughing from the harsh smoke. At one point Faramir landed a blow to Moradanur's collarbone, stunning the man. While Moradanur stumbled dangerously close to the flames, Faramir rushed to Éowyn's side. He pulled the gag from her mouth just in time for her to yell, "Faramir, behind you!"

Faramir whirled and blocked a now weaker blow from Moradanur. The ruffian was tiring quickly, but not quickly enough. The fire was eating the small supply of oxygen in the cave and Faramir knew the battle couldn't last much longer if they wanted to survive. Thinking quickly, Faramir ducked under Moradanur's sword and it swung harmlessly over the former Steward's head, leaving time for Faramir to shove his own sword into the ruffian's side.

Moradanur dropped his sword in shock and sank to his knees. As he held the gaping wound in his stomach, Faramir grabbed his shoulders. "How were you going to escape? After you set the fire, how were you going to escape?"

The ruffian looked wearily at Faramir. It wasn't supposed to be this way. He was only going to kill the Steward, then escape with Éowyn and let her free. He just wanted to protect his sister, his people. "My sister…" he fell into a coughing fit.

"Your sister and your men have already been given refuge by the lord of Imladris. How do we escape this place?"

Moradanur coughed again. "A river…runs under the cave. It is…just over there." He pointed to his right, toward the back of the cave.

Faramir quickly freed Éowyn's feet and hands. They ran to where the river ran through the cave, kicking off their boots which would only be a hindrance. After Faramir helped Éowyn into the cold water, he paused before turning back and running towards Moradanur. Faramir knelt by the man and reach for his arms. "Come, we must hurry."

Moradanur looked at the former Steward, astonished. "After all I 'ave done?"

Faramir's face was grim. "No one deserves to die like this."

"But die I will. I cannot survive the swim and I will not die like that either. Tell Naicalle I love 'er." Before Faramir could stop him Moradanur took his dagger and slit his own throat.

...

Faramir closed his eyes before turning and running back to Éowyn who was holding onto the side of the riverbank. Jumping in next to her, Faramir grabbed her hand. The air was getting dangerously filled with smoke. "Come on."

"Faramir!" He looked at Éowyn, surprised at the fear in her eyes. He quickly realized why she was scared. "Faramir, I do not know how to swim."

'Oh, not good.' Thinking fast, Faramir turned his back to her. "Hold on to me, and do not struggle." Éowyn did as he said without question, wrapping her arms around his neck. Faramir made sure she was settled before plunging into the raging current.

…

They were quickly swept down the river and Faramir could barely keep their heads above the water. All at once, he saw the end of the space above them. "Éowyn, breathe deeply!" he yelled before following his own advice. The current dragged them underneath the rock and Faramir fought to keep them steady. Then the river slowed down and Faramir began swimming as fast as he could. His lungs burned from lack of air, but there was no room to catch a breath. His vision was beginning to blacken when suddenly they were out of the dark of the caves. Bursting to the surface, Faramir greedily sucked in the fresh air. Behind him, Éowyn gasped for breath, incredibly happy that _that_ was over.

Faramir willed his aching arms to tow them to the shore. The couple pulled themselves onto dry land, laying there exhausted and breathless. After a moment, Faramir noticed that Éowyn was shivering uncontrollably. He drew her into his arms, noting her pale, nearly blue skin. "Éowyn, are you well?"

Éowyn looked into his silver eyes and smiled. "Yes, now that you are here. I told Naicalle you would come."

Faramir returned the smile and kissed her gently. "No force in Arda could stop me."

Éowyn cocked her head, her eyes worried. "You are shivering."

That was when Faramir noticed how cold he really was. They were both dripping wet in the middle of November. "You are shivering as well, my love. I believe we should go find the twins. I am sure they are worried, if not hysterical." Éowyn laughed at the thought of the sons of Elrond hysterical and Faramir thought it was the most wonderful sound in the world. Helping Éowyn to her feet, Faramir put his arm around her waist. "Are you sure you are well? You were not hurt by the kidnappers?"

Éowyn shook her head as they started walking. "They were quite kind to me, especially Naicalle. I wish we could have saved her brother."

Faramir sighed, trying not to picture how he saw Moradanur last. "So do I."

...

Daendil scowled silently as he heard yet another patrol run by the abandoned house he was in. 'Curse that Fuingon, he must have betrayed me!'

"It is you who have betrayed me, Daendil." Daendil whirled, his eyes widening in terror at the dark man before him. "Your lust for power was first in your heart. You betrayed my plan."

Daendil stepped back until his back was to a wall. "My lord, the plan is on schedule. The Steward fell straight for the trap."

The dark man's red eyes gleamed malevolently. "The trap failed. You have failed. I will not stand for failure." The man raised his hand, dark tendrils racing out of his fingertips.

Lord Daendil clutched his chest, pain coursing through his body. "No." Then everything went black.

* * *

Hehe. I guess Faramir doesn't get to go after Daendil after all. The dark man will also play an important part in the third sequel. 


	8. Chapter 8

Hi everyone! Sorry for the late update. I hope everyone who had a holiday this weekend had a good one! I think I'm just going to finish posting this story tonight and get ready to post the sequel, which I personally think is actually better than this one.  
Reviewer Responses  
_lindahoyland_ Glad you like it and hope you like this chapter and the next as well.  
_Raksha The Demon_ Hmmm, if I add an earthquake and a tornado I'll have Faramir save her from each of the original elements. Unfortunately I am not that skilled. Yes to the wedding, no to the wedding night, and not until the next chapter. Sorry, I'm just not comfortable writing romance.  
_TheDaughterOfKings_ Yay for Fluffyness! I'm going to name my cat Fluffy. I don't have one yet, and I'm sure you didn't care to hear what I will name my cat when I get one, but I have caffeine and sugar and can't seem to make sense even to myself.  
_redrhonda_ Political intrigue is great, but I'm not sure how well I write it. I find it easier to write pure action. Wedding next chapter.

* * *

Elladan and Elrohir stood numbly before the burning cave. Luckily the flames hadn't spread outside of the rocky hills, but that meant nothing to the twins. All they knew was that their little brother was trapped, perhaps dead. And they could do nothing about it. 

Their thoughts ran along the same lines. 'Is Tir alive? How can he escape that? What will we tell Glorfindel and Estel? What will we tell _Ada_?' They were so wrapped up in the whats and the hows that they didn't hear Faramir and Éowyn stumble up behind them.

Faramir's lips twitched. He had rarely been able to sneak up on his brothers before. "Yes, my brothers, the fire is very pretty and big, but we are very wet and cold so if you do not mind?"

The twins jumped and spun around. Elrohir's eyes widened. "Tir! You are alive! Where are you hurt?"

Éowyn laughed as the healer checked Faramir for cuts, bruises, burns, or anything else. Faramir rolled his eyes. "I am fine, Elrohir. Just wet and cold."

Elladan frowned. "Hmmm, that probably means that he has hypothermia or pneumonia. You will have to make some of that healing tea Ada makes, El."

Faramir shook his head quickly. "There is no need for that. Just give me a blanket and a change of clothes and I will be fine." Before either twin could say anything, Faramir grabbed Éowyn's hand and began walking briskly away. "I am sure we will find something back at the camp with Glorfindel." The twins knew exactly how he felt. No one ever wanted Ada's tea.

Éowyn looked down at her pale toes that stood out sharply against the grass. 'I can't remember the last time I went barefoot.' Back at the camp she, Faramir, and the twins had been greeted by a cheerful Glorfindel and a strangely subdued group of ruffians. The horses were there as well, so Faramir had another set of clothing for himself. Unfortunately they had not thought to bring anything for Éowyn, so she made do with Elladan's extra trousers and Glorfindel's extra tunic.

"I suppose this is good-bye." The shieldmaiden looked up to see Naicalle standing before her. The former ruffian's eyes were wet with tears, though Éowyn didn't know if they were from saying farewell or the news of her brother's death. "I 'ope we are still friends, even after what Danny tried to do."

Éowyn hugged the other woman. "Of course we are friends. And I expect to see you at my wedding." She leaned closer and whispered in her friend's ear. "And I also expect an invitation to your and Norien's wedding as well."

Naicalle's eyes widened. "How did you know…?"

Éowyn grinned. "Glorfindel told me. Did he truly threaten Norien with a hanging unless he proposed to you?"

"I did." The women turned to see Glorfindel sitting atop Asfaloth, his horse. Behind him the twins and Faramir were mounted as well. "I figured that since I could see how much he loved her after only a few hours, all he needed was a little persuasion." Everyone laughed. Éowyn and Naicalle embraced again before Faramir helped Éowyn mount Belgir.

She settled in behind Faramir, her arms wrapped around his waist. "Farewell, my friend."

Naicalle stood beside Norien as they watched they five leave. "Farewell."

They were one day away from Minas Tirith when Glorfindel decided that it would be best if they stopped for the night. While the three elves set up camp, Éowyn resolved to talk to Faramir who had been unusually quiet throughout the journey. Drawing him a fair distance from the camp, the couple sat down out of elven ear-shot. "Faramir, what is wrong?"

Faramir didn't look at her. "I do not know what you mean."

"Something is bothering you, do not bother to try and hide it. Please tell me, my love."

Faramir bit his lip and sighed. He forced himself to look into Éowyn's eyes. "I fear that our marriage will not happen."

Éowyn's eyes widened in shock. "What do you mean? Why would it _not_ happen?"

Faramir turned his head, unable to keep looking at her. "You were betrothed to the Steward of Gondor. I am that no longer."

"What! What happened?"

The former Steward kept his eyes on the ground. "Daendil declared the right of reconciliation with Lebennin after you were kidnapped. That meant that as Prince of Ithilien I could not interfere or Daendil could take Ithilien as his own. Aragorn told me I could not come after you." Faramir sighed. "I fear I treated him too harshly for that, but I was so worried. In my anger I resigned both as Steward and Prince of Ithilien and stormed out of the city without leave."

Éowyn crossed her arms. "I fail to see how this prevents our marriage." She frowned. "Unless you believe that I was marrying you only because you held high office." At Faramir's chagrined look her frown deepened. "Faramir! How could you even think that? I care not for your station, I would love you just as much if you were a farmer!"

Faramir took her hand in his and brushed it with a kiss. "I know, my love. It was only a nagging doubt in the back of my mind. Do you forgive me?"

Éowyn smiled. "Of course I do. Just do not think it again, understood?"

"Understood." Smiling, the couple kissed and all thoughts of kings and titles flew away.

They reached Minas Tirith by mid-day, only to find the entire city in an uproar. Guards patrolled the gates, barely giving them a second glance as they entered but fiercely guarding the gate against anyone who wished to _leave_. And Faramir knew that something big was happening when no one even noticed three elves and a former Steward returning the kidnapped lady of Rohan. After stabling the horses, the five walked to the Seventh level and were greeted by Lord Elrond and Lady Eluial in the entrance hall of the palace. As Glorfindel kissed his wife in greeting, Elrond was quick to embrace his youngest son. "Thank the Valar you are all back safely. And I see you were successful." The elf-lord smiled and bowed his head at Éowyn. "It is good to see you whole and well, Éowyn. Your brother will be especially pleased."

After Elrond hugged his older sons, Faramir looked around the uncommonly empty hallway. "Ada, where is everyone? What is going on?"

Elrond frowned. "Many of the servants have been given leave to stay at home. Mistress Fulla was nearly murdered a few days ago, and though the culprit was caught, the ones in charge have not been apprehended yet."

Faramir couldn't believe it. "Murdered? Who would want to murder an injured maid?"

Lady Eluial shook her head. "You must hear the whole story."

After the whole tale was told, it was decided that the twins and Éowyn would stay at the palace with Glorfindel and Eluial for it would not be safe if Daendil and Valglin learned of Éowyn's safe return. Elrond took Faramir to the Third level where Aragorn was leading the search for the two villains.

The two caught up with the king at a small guardhouse. At first Aragorn didn't even notice them, but when he saw Faramir the relief on his face was evident. Faramir didn't notice, however, for he could not bring himself to look at the king he had deserted, the brother he had forsaken. Therefore he was not warned when Aragorn fiercely embraced his prodigal brother. "Thank Eru you are safe. After you left, we learned of the trap set for you. I was so worried." He released the shocked Faramir and dragged him over to the table which held a map of the city. "Fuingon is still being held in the cells. Word just reached me now that Valglin was found and killed when he attacked the guards. It is believed that Daendil is somewhere on this level."

"My lord."

"I would guess he has some hideaway in those old, abandoned houses on the southern side."

"_Estel._"

The king looked up at Faramir's distressed face. "What?"

Faramir swallowed, his throat dry. "My lord, I left Minas Tirith without leave on a mission you expressly forbid me to attempt."

Aragorn blinked. "And? What do you expect me to do? Hang you for going after the woman you love? I believe I will hold that punishment for someone who truly deserves it, namely Daendil who was trying to undermine my authority and take over Gondor a piece at a time. That, plus the fact that he arranged to try and have my brother killed, does not make me inclined to give him any sort of clemency."

Faramir felt a glimmer of hope at the word _brother._ "Do…do you forgive me my harsh words? I was not thinking straight, I did not mean…"

Aragorn held up his hand to silence him. "All is forgiven. Ada spoke with me and helped me see that you did not mean what you said. You are still my brother, _Tir_, and always will be."

Faramir smiled with relief. "Thank you, my brother."

"And now that _that_ is settled, I hope you do not mind, but I decided that since this search has taken a great deal of my time, I would leave the paperwork for my Steward to handle when he returned. It may be a lot, but I am confident in your abilities." Aragorn grinned while Elrond rolled his eyes.

Faramir was a bit stunned. "But I resigned!"

Aragorn's grin widened. "You resigned, but I never officially accepted your resignation. The paperwork is all yours."

Elrond, who had remained silent throughout the whole exchange, ignored his youngest son's pleading look. "He is right, Tir. The king must accept the resignation for it to take effect. I am afraid you are stuck."

Faramir tried to sigh dejectedly, but failed miserably. "And I was hoping for a nice, quiet piece of land to farm for the rest of my days. What ever am I going to do with the 50 head of cattle I bought? I suppose thy will just have to stay in the Tower of Ecthelion. I hope you do not mind the smell."

Aragorn laughed, but stopped when Faramir didn't join him. A worry-line creased the king's face. "You did not, did you?" Faramir didn't respond and Aragorn truly began to worry. "Tir?"

The moment was interrupted when the captain of the guard burst into the room. "Your Highness, we found Daendil!"

Everyone forgot the non-existent cattle and focused their attention on the soldier. Aragorn stepped forward. "Where is he?"

"In one of the abandoned houses." The captain hesitated. "My lord, he was dead when we found him. We think it was suicide."

Faramir stared down at the body of Daendil, the fatal knife still in his stomach. Despite what the man had done, Faramir still had not wanted it to end like this. Aragorn stood from where he had been examining the body. The king frowned. "I do not like this. There is too little blood for the knife to actually have killed him. It is as if he died and _then_ someone stabbed him."

"How did he die then?"

Aragorn shrugged his shoulders. "I do not know. I can find no other wounds. Unless somebody comes forward with more information, there is nothing more to do than declare it a suicide, loath though I am to do so. There is nothing else I can do." The king shook his head and smiled at Faramir. "Let us leave this to the others and think no more of it. The villains have been punished and we have a wedding to celebrate." Aragorn's grin widened. "And you have paperwork to get started on."

* * *

Next chapter coming up! 


	9. Chapter 9 the end

Last chapter! I can't believe how long it's taken me to post this, I'm really sorry. Hopefully I will be better with the third sequel. I hope you enjoy! Thanks to my readers and everyone who reviewed!

* * *

The day of the wedding was bright, and warm for the middle of November. Aragorn found it quite fun to watch Faramir pace as nervously as the king had before his own wedding. As for Faramir, he thought the hour of the ceremony would never come, the minutes slowly rolling by. Of course, the twins took it upon themselves to try and distract the anxious groom. Disaster was barely averted, mostly by the intervention of the father of the groom who seemed to be the only sane one in the family that day. Even Arwen had been convinced to help her older brothers. And Faramir was positive that Lord Arendur's son, the new lord of Lossarnach, knew something about the wine incident that he swore took 10 years off of his life. 

…

Finally it was time for the wedding ceremony. Elrond managed to get Faramir to the alter alive and in one piece, no thanks to Aragorn who told his foster brother that the flowers hadn't arrived and waited until the Steward was a deathly pale white before admitting that he was joking. The twins had managed to save Aragorn from strangulation and the groom was able to make it to his wedding without worrying about being charged with murdering the king.

At the altar, Faramir was all nerves. That is, he was all nerves until the moment Éowyn walked in. Then his entire world was calmly focused on his bride who was resplendent in her elvish-silk dress. As for Éowyn, she didn't think anyone could look as handsome as her intended. The ceremony was over before they knew it and the couple beamed as the guests showered them with congratulations.

…

At the reception, Faramir found himself looking around the table at his family, old and new. Prince Imrahil and Lady Freyaniel sat across from him with their grown children, three boys and two girls. Though Faramir's thoughts went to Denethor and Boromir, he forced himself not to think of them. Now was the time for the present and the future, not the past.

Next to Imrahil sat King Éomer of Rohan, Faramir's new brother by law. Éomer seemed to be the only one not broadly smiling, though that was to be expected of a man who had just lost his only family to a new country. Elrond and the elves of Imladris sat to Faramir's right, the twins trying to get at Glorfindel who in turn was using his wife to shield him from the dark-haired terrors. Aragorn and Arwen sat on Éowyn's left and they were happily chatting with each other, remembering their own wedding.

Finally Faramir looked beside him. Éowyn was talking to his cousin, Lothiriel, who sat in front of her. Faramir couldn't take his eyes off of his bride. 'It is real. We are truly married, together forever.' Éowyn caught his eye and smiled, a smile he knew would only ever be for him. Faramir smiled back, his eyes filled with love and speaking a language of their own. 'I love you, Éowyn. Forever and always.'

…

Outside the palace walls, a dark man stood by the wall of the Seventh Circle. Red eyed gleamed like blood and a low growl escaped his throat. He couldn't believe that his plans had been thwarted again! 'Curse you, Faramir! You escaped this trap too easily, like you escaped the poisoned sword in Tumbar. Mark my words, little Steward: Next time, you will not be so lucky. Next time, I come after you myself.' The dark man laughed. 'Enjoy your life while you can. It will end soon enough.'

* * *

Boy, Evil Skittle sure took over there. If you don't remember, Faramir was wounded by a poisoned sword in 'Fell Wound'. This last part is a lead in to the third sequel. I have it finished already and will start posting soon. Thanks for reading!. 


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